Share the Pain
by FelineFriendly
Summary: Set after Haunted. Robin isn't the only in pain. Who else is hurt? And why does it have to do something with him?
1. After the Haunt

Robin let out a quick sigh, and let go of his aching stomach to reach the light switch, still clinging weakly to the wall for support. "Lights out, Slade," he whispered, and, as he had believed, the light cleared his mind. Glad that it was finally over, he took a deep breath but managed to continue to be vulnerable to the pain. Off the corner of his unharmed left eye, he spotted Starfire floating above him.

"Robin!" she called, obviously relieved that he was still alive.

"It's okay, Starfire," he replied gently as she landed in front of him. A sudden wave of pain shot through him, and trusting by the look on his face, Starfire could sense it. "It's okay…"

Knowing that he couldn't hold on to the wall forever, Robin let go, relieved to be caught by Starfire. She gave a warm yet worried, look at the exhausted Robin, who lay half-unconscious in her arms with his legs bent and his stretched arms hanging down. Finally, she gave a quick glance at Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven, who were watching from the doorway above.

The thunder rushed through to the horizon, and the rain poured as hard as hail. Robin was sitting on the side of the torn hospital bed in the med wing. He, Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire (who was standing by the side of the bed), were staring at the monitor on a large screen in front of them.

"Well…" Cyborg said calmly to Robin, "It looks like Slade pulled off one last trick. His mask contained a chemical reagent that infiltrated your central nervous system."

"The dust!" Robin concluded. "It made me see, hear, _and _feel Slade, even though he wasn't there."

"And the more you fought," Starfire continued, "The more harm it did to you."

"Or anyone else who got in the way…" Raven said suspiciously, rubbing her chin in deep thought.

Cyborg grinned. "Sign says your all clear now, though."

"Well, just to be sure…" Robin got up, limped to the other side of the room, and flicked off the lights. He glanced around the room and past his friends, and then returned his gaze to them. He turned the lights back on immediately and sighed. "I've been fighting Slade for so long, it's hard to just let it go." He paused for a split-second, then continued. "But sometimes I feel like I'm the only one still looking for him… the only one who can stop him."

"Robin," Starfire said, "You are never _alone_."

"And if Slade really _does_ come back, we'll be ready," Cyborg continued. "We got things covered here. Why don't you get some rest?"

The suggestion was satisfying. "Sounds like a good idea," Robin nodded. Before he knew it, he was in bed, sound asleep.


	2. Aches and Pains

Why did I threaten them? 

_Why did I hurt Star?_

_Why was I so cruel?_

_Why did I hurt them, yell at them, even through such mortal pain?_

_Why?_

_Why?_

_Why?_

Thoughts filled Robin's mind, even in his sleep. His whole body throbbed from such numerous injuries, such great pain.

_I am the thing that keeps you up at night…_

His head ached.

_There _are_ no generators. THERE _IS_ NO SLADE!_

His stomach hurt.

_How can you save a city, Robin, when you can't even save yourself?_

His arms were almost limp.

_Then let me see… through _your_ eyes._

His ankle was as twisted as Slade's mind.

_Dude. This was the only way out, and we were standing right here. No one got past us._

His entire body was bruised.

_Please… You are hurting me…_

His heart ached.


	3. Breakfast Sickness

The next morning, Beast Boy was cooking tofu for breakfast, and as usual, Raven watched and Starfire giggled as Cyborg prepared to decline the stuff. Before he could open his mouth, however, a torn and bruised Robin walked in.

"Glad you're here, Robin," Raven greeted him. "By the way, Cyborg was going to start it again." She quickly glanced over her shoulder at the two boys.

Robin sighed and walked over to Beast Boy. "Can you eat all that?" he asked, pointing to the pan in the green changeling's hand.

"Yep," Beast Boy replied, closing his eyes in pride. Then he opened one. "Why?"

"I think I have an idea that doesn't require you wasting that. Since you're capable, you can eat all the tofu you made, and I can make breakfast for three!"

Cyborg eyed his injured leader curiously. "You _are_ a good cook, right?" When Robin nodded, he leapt into the air, spinning his arms in circles. "BOOYA! Robin's cooking! Robin's cooking! Robin's cooking!"

Starfire smiled at him, then her eyes went wide when she realized what her best friend had just said. "Robin? What did you mean by 'three of us'? Not counting Beast Boy, there are four."

"I'm not hungry," Robin replied. "But anyway, I'll get to cooking!" He turned back to the stove and gathered all the ingredients for bacon, eggs, and toast, and herbal tea, along with the mustard and milk.

Starfire squealed with joy as Robin placed her breakfast in front of her.

"Alright!" Cyborg shouted. "Eggs, with a side dish of bacon and toast made of fresh bread, accompanied with a glass of creamy milk: my favorite!"

"At least _he _wisely uses his knowledge of our favorite foods," Raven said, shooting an annoyed glance at Beast Boy, who, of course, was eating his tofu faster than Kid Flash could run.

"Mmmmm! Robin, you should cook more often!" Cyborg exclaimed.

"Yes, friend! I believe I have never been served the yellow beverage of which you refer to as 'mustard'!"

"Ditto."

Beast Boy looked up from his ever so recently emptied plate. "Dude, are you okay?" he asked. "You look a little… pale."

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine," Robin replied.

Raven groaned, got up, and walked around to the other side of the table. She held a hand to his forehead, pulling back two seconds later.

"Robin," she announced, "You're burning up."

"Actually," Robin replied, tapping his index fingers tip to tip shamefully, "My stomach _has _been bothering me lately."

"So _that's _why he didn't want to eat his breakfast!" Cyborg concluded. "Now, Robin, go rest. You'll need it. And, also, if it makes you think anything other than work, I can send Starfire up with you, now that she's done. _She _can surely make you feel better." He wiggled his eyebrows as he said the last sentence.

"Sure. Is it okay with you, Star?" Robin asked.

"Of course!" she replied in a motherly tone.

"HEY!"


	4. My Painful Secret

Robin stuffed his head in his pillow, trying to sleep, but his stomach and wounds were bothering him. What would he do if the Titans went into battle and lost because he wasn't there? Even when all he could see was his pillow, he could tell Starfire was confused about the thermometer.

"Robin, what do I do with this 'meter of thermo'?" she asked.

"Just hand it to me." His voice was muffled slightly by the pillows, but she could still hear him. She handed it over as he had instructed. Once the thermometer was in his grip, he pushed himself up, rolled onto his back, and faced the other way with it in his mouth. She giggled when she saw his face, red lines extending here and there across his face from the pillow. She stopped when she remembered that the pillow lines weren't the only things on his face besides his mask. His mask…

"Robin?" she asked as he pulled the thermometer out.

"Hm?"

"What's your temperature?" she asked, trying to think of something else. She didn't want to be rude.

"One hundred and one," he sighed. "Star, that wasn't what you were going to ask me. I can tell. What was it?"

Starfire sighed. "I don't want to ask you, as I might be 'the rude'."

"It's okay," Robin grinned gently. "You can ask me anything."

_He is so handsome when he smiles, and he's always so kind. I guess it wouldn't hurt. _"Why do you wear… a mask?"

Robin's smile faded. "I… I don't want to be reminded of it, but if you want to know, it's fine by me."

"No, Robin. If you do not wish to talk about it, then we won't," Starfire said.

"No, I'll tell you anyway. You see, my parents were once part of a circus act called the Flying Graysons. They would perform every day of the summer. For my eighth birthday, they did a trapeze act without a net, thinking they were safe. The thing was, they weren't.

"A two-bit extortionist named Tony Zucco was demanding the circus's money, but the ringleader wouldn't give in. Zucco was getting tired of the conversation, so he did what he had threatened to: cut the rope.

"My parents fell too fast for the ringleader to get the net out, and upon impact, they died. Batman was in the crowd, and, understanding me well, took me in. He trained me in crime-fighting for ten years, then I came to the Titans."

Starfire didn't know what to say. She was glad that Robin told her, but sorry about his past.

"And now…" he said, putting his fingers to his mask, "I want you to see who I really am." He pulled, revealing the most beautiful blue eyes Starfire had ever seen before in her life, but they were flooded with tears. "My name is Richard Grayson." There was a moment of silence, before Robin's tears burst into action. Sobbing, his head fell onto Starfire's lap. "I… I just… just wish… wish that there was some… some way I could be a hero… without having to say good-bye…" he sniffled.

Starfire ran her fingers through his hair. "I understand, Richard… I understand…"


	5. Nightmare 1: Colorful

Robin lay upright in bed, hand lightly on his stomach, thinking. _I should stop thinking about Slade, _he thought. _I've learned my lesson this time. If I obsess too much, it will affect my health. I'd be weak, and the Titans would surely fall… Besides, what harm could come from spending time with my friends? Hmmm… Maybe I can work and the Titans can help me! No, wait… My work will never be safe with Beast Boy. I can help Starfire understand things, and she and Beast Boy can do the easiest jobs! Raven can do things that are pretty high, and Cyborg and I can work on the computer! It'll be great…_

All that thinking tired Robin out, so he fell back onto his back, letting his head rest lightly on his pillow, and started to "dream."

_"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Slade's sinister voice flooded the huge warehouse room. Robin shivered from behind a big pile of debris as Slade walked by the other side, looking for him. Robin sighed in relief. He looked up, right into Slade's eye, and jumped._

_Robin ran, hard, away from Slade. He was sweating hard, and his stomach pain was unbearable. He fell to his knees, clutching his stomach, letting his guard down. Slade caught up and found this moment perfect. He tapped the Boy Wonder's shoulder, and Robin spun around. Slade punched him in the stomach, sending him flying._

_Robin slammed into the wall and fell onto his stomach, half conscious. Slade lifted him by the collar so his masked eyes were level with his glaring eye. Just at that moment, off the corner of his eye, Robin noticed a light switch next to where he hit the wall. With a groan of pain, he reached out as far as he could. His hand weakly gripped the switch, and he pulled with all his strength. Lights filled the warehouse and he shielded his eyes with his arm. He gasped._

_Slade was still standing there._

_"Get the clue, Robin?" he asked tauntingly. "I'm still alive, and I'm somewhere out there in the city. Somewhere colorful. That's all I have to say." He let go of Robin's collar, and the Boy Wonder landed hard on the cold ground. When he looked up, Slade was gone. The room spun, and everything darkened._

Robin sat up in bed with a yell, sweating. He let out a small shriek as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven. He sighed in relief.

"You okay?" Cyborg asked, giving an assuring smile.

"Yeah," Robin replied. "Just a nightmare."

"Slade?" Beast Boy asked, asking the obvious.

"Yeah," Robin breathed. "He said he was alive, and was hiding 'somewhere colorful.' That was all he said.

Raven rubbed her chin in thought. "Colorful? Let's see here…"

"Oh, oh, oh!" Beast Boy exclaimed, jumping. "Maybe it was a kindergarten classroom!" Everyone glared. "Yeah. Bad idea."

Robin seemed deep in thought. "Let's give ourselves some time to think about this." They all agreed. Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven walked out of the room. Starfire approached the door, but stopped and turned. She smiled sweetly at Robin.

"Get some sleep," she whispered. "Good night, Robin."

"Yeah, good night," he responded just before she walked through the door. He stared at the sheets for a moment before settling under the covers, a smile on his face.


End file.
